Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology 44 (2015) 295–296
Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology journal homepage: www.cpdrjournal.com
Mentoring Matters
The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.—Steven Spielberg Do you recall your first day as a staff radiologist? If it was anything like mine, it likely occurred without pomp or circumstance. However, there is something worthy of pause during one's transition from being a trainee to a young faculty. The frenzied world of health care that many now enter as newly minted radiologists is profoundly different from the one they were exposed as wide-eyed medical students. The current climate of the specialty is inundated with how imaging should be organized, how it should be delivered, and what constitutes appropriate imaging. Meanwhile, this growing complexity has been accompanied by reduced institutional commitments to research, funded or otherwise. What does this mean for those just entering the academic medical pipeline? As one of those “wide-eyed” medical students, I recall listening to a future mentor as he lectured to a group of trainees on “Smoking-Related Interstitial Lung Disease,” and I was enthralled. Years later, I had the good fortune to interact with this mentor again. Between seemingly countless intensive care unit films and PE studies, he regaled us with the stories of the heady days of pre– high-resolution computed tomography life and of defining the natural history of interstitial fibrosis before the advent of highresolution computed tomography. The narratives were impressive. Speaking in the matter-of-fact tone, he was precise, very careful to identify events by their proper chronology and to offer credit to investigators, many of whom he mentioned fondly. He referred to his colleagues and their collective radiology contributions as “walking with radiology giants.” He emphasized the importance of focusing on “the bigger picture” and the act of choosing a mentor as the single most consequential decision of one's career.1–3 He peppered his stories with personal anecdotes of unlikely collaborations started at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) taxi stand or over dinner at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (now American Institute of Radiologic Pathology). He would often summarize his stories with his “tips for a successful academic career.” Effortlessly, he commanded his small audience, bringing together generations that included medical students, residents, and fellows. We listened intently and delighted in his stories. In them, radiology became personal, and seemingly ancient radiologists from seminal articles became alive. In our minds, we contrasted the world he depicted with the more familiar radiology departments in our time. Without a hint of ego in his voice, he recounted how, at an age not much more senior to ours, he served http://dx.doi.org/10.1067/j.cpradiol.2015.04.001 0363-0188/& 2015 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
as chief of his section and, not long thereafter, department vice chair. He spoke of the “good ol' days” when mentoring a junior faculty was expected and not a rarity. At its simplest, there was a one-on-one interaction, and from that interaction, there were endless possibilities for exploration. I recognize now that listening to his reflections was invaluable at such a developmental stage in my career. For me, these firsthand accounts provided context for what we set out to do every day in academic radiology. There are few examples more powerful than hearing a mentor describe complex case and watching him adroitly describe how a subtle finding bloomed into a lifealtering diagnosis. This interaction offered a human element to what we often took for granted. As many of us grapple with the future of academic mentoring, and in an era of numerous constraints, his words still offer perspective. Trainees of my generation idolized the “triple threat” academic physician-scientist, one who was a master clinician, scientist, and educator.3,4 Reflecting on my mentor's words, however, I was reminded that this construct necessitates mentoring. This opened up an already rich world of imaging observations to even richer possibilities afforded by the ready path from mentor to mentee, and back again. Today, it can be difficult to work in academic radiology department without reminders of the growing demands and all-consuming complexities in-built in modern clinical care, scientific research, and post-graduate training. Young faculty radiologists face a multitude of seemingly impassible barriers in the setting of an increasingly scrutinized clinical environment that values volume and, in the not too distant future, outcomes.5 Radiology departments are rife with increasingly competitive environments that reward relative value units while remaining vulnerable to political volatility,6,7 and an increasingly strained training environment that defaults to longer, subspecialized pathways while simultaneously limiting hours and clinical experience. These daunting tasks may lead an unguided young faculty to question the viability of the path to becoming a “triple threat.” As my mentor foretold, the concept of the academic physicianscientist evolved. It evolves yet again. The profound changes that are taking place in radiology will provide new opportunities for creative thinking, including better utilization of current available resources by forging new collaborations to approach existing challenges. The opportunity is here, and those who persevere in novel ways will make important contributions. It is easy to overlook the effect of having these exchanges on young faculty in the early stages of their careers. Through often unexpected encounters, I have enjoyed interacting informally with some of the greats in our profession, hearing from thought leaders
296
T.-L.H. Mohammed / Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology 44 (2015) 295–296
in unconventional forums as they shared details about their experiences as they unfolded, sometimes with surprising results. As we progress in our careers, we must reflect on the effect those before us have had, with gratitude for their examples, inspiration, and generosity. Erstwhile, we share in the responsibility to foster and mentor our new faculty and colleagues. The sharing of these reflections is critical for fostering confidence and possibility, particularly beyond the confines of any institution.
2. Iyer RS, Wood BP. Why do academic radiologists choose mentors? Acad Radiol 2013;20(8):921–2. 3. Ray CE. Mentoring-It's All Good, Right? Semin Intervent Radiol 2012;29(2): 69–70. 4. Wood BP. Oh, no! I made a mistake! Am J Roentgenol 2013;200(5):947. 5. Slanetz PJ, Boiselle PM. Mentoring matters. Am J Roentgenol. 2012;198(1):W11W12. 6. Bhargava P. What's all the fuss about productivity? Should you care? Curr Probl Diagn Radiol 2014;43(5):233–4. 7. Shriki JE, Bhargava P. Peer review: Strengthening the weak link of academic radiology. Curr Probl Diagn Radiol 2015;44(3):227–8.
References 1. Obura T, Brant WE, Miller F, et al. Participating in a community of learners enhances resident perceptions of learning in an e-mentoring program: Proof of concept. BMC Med Educ 2011;11:3.
Tan-Lucien H. Mohammed, MD, FCCP
Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology journal homepage: www.cpdrjournal.com
Mentoring Matters
The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.—Steven Spielberg Do you recall your first day as a staff radiologist? If it was anything like mine, it likely occurred without pomp or circumstance. However, there is something worthy of pause during one's transition from being a trainee to a young faculty. The frenzied world of health care that many now enter as newly minted radiologists is profoundly different from the one they were exposed as wide-eyed medical students. The current climate of the specialty is inundated with how imaging should be organized, how it should be delivered, and what constitutes appropriate imaging. Meanwhile, this growing complexity has been accompanied by reduced institutional commitments to research, funded or otherwise. What does this mean for those just entering the academic medical pipeline? As one of those “wide-eyed” medical students, I recall listening to a future mentor as he lectured to a group of trainees on “Smoking-Related Interstitial Lung Disease,” and I was enthralled. Years later, I had the good fortune to interact with this mentor again. Between seemingly countless intensive care unit films and PE studies, he regaled us with the stories of the heady days of pre– high-resolution computed tomography life and of defining the natural history of interstitial fibrosis before the advent of highresolution computed tomography. The narratives were impressive. Speaking in the matter-of-fact tone, he was precise, very careful to identify events by their proper chronology and to offer credit to investigators, many of whom he mentioned fondly. He referred to his colleagues and their collective radiology contributions as “walking with radiology giants.” He emphasized the importance of focusing on “the bigger picture” and the act of choosing a mentor as the single most consequential decision of one's career.1–3 He peppered his stories with personal anecdotes of unlikely collaborations started at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) taxi stand or over dinner at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (now American Institute of Radiologic Pathology). He would often summarize his stories with his “tips for a successful academic career.” Effortlessly, he commanded his small audience, bringing together generations that included medical students, residents, and fellows. We listened intently and delighted in his stories. In them, radiology became personal, and seemingly ancient radiologists from seminal articles became alive. In our minds, we contrasted the world he depicted with the more familiar radiology departments in our time. Without a hint of ego in his voice, he recounted how, at an age not much more senior to ours, he served http://dx.doi.org/10.1067/j.cpradiol.2015.04.001 0363-0188/& 2015 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
as chief of his section and, not long thereafter, department vice chair. He spoke of the “good ol' days” when mentoring a junior faculty was expected and not a rarity. At its simplest, there was a one-on-one interaction, and from that interaction, there were endless possibilities for exploration. I recognize now that listening to his reflections was invaluable at such a developmental stage in my career. For me, these firsthand accounts provided context for what we set out to do every day in academic radiology. There are few examples more powerful than hearing a mentor describe complex case and watching him adroitly describe how a subtle finding bloomed into a lifealtering diagnosis. This interaction offered a human element to what we often took for granted. As many of us grapple with the future of academic mentoring, and in an era of numerous constraints, his words still offer perspective. Trainees of my generation idolized the “triple threat” academic physician-scientist, one who was a master clinician, scientist, and educator.3,4 Reflecting on my mentor's words, however, I was reminded that this construct necessitates mentoring. This opened up an already rich world of imaging observations to even richer possibilities afforded by the ready path from mentor to mentee, and back again. Today, it can be difficult to work in academic radiology department without reminders of the growing demands and all-consuming complexities in-built in modern clinical care, scientific research, and post-graduate training. Young faculty radiologists face a multitude of seemingly impassible barriers in the setting of an increasingly scrutinized clinical environment that values volume and, in the not too distant future, outcomes.5 Radiology departments are rife with increasingly competitive environments that reward relative value units while remaining vulnerable to political volatility,6,7 and an increasingly strained training environment that defaults to longer, subspecialized pathways while simultaneously limiting hours and clinical experience. These daunting tasks may lead an unguided young faculty to question the viability of the path to becoming a “triple threat.” As my mentor foretold, the concept of the academic physicianscientist evolved. It evolves yet again. The profound changes that are taking place in radiology will provide new opportunities for creative thinking, including better utilization of current available resources by forging new collaborations to approach existing challenges. The opportunity is here, and those who persevere in novel ways will make important contributions. It is easy to overlook the effect of having these exchanges on young faculty in the early stages of their careers. Through often unexpected encounters, I have enjoyed interacting informally with some of the greats in our profession, hearing from thought leaders
296
T.-L.H. Mohammed / Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology 44 (2015) 295–296
in unconventional forums as they shared details about their experiences as they unfolded, sometimes with surprising results. As we progress in our careers, we must reflect on the effect those before us have had, with gratitude for their examples, inspiration, and generosity. Erstwhile, we share in the responsibility to foster and mentor our new faculty and colleagues. The sharing of these reflections is critical for fostering confidence and possibility, particularly beyond the confines of any institution.
2. Iyer RS, Wood BP. Why do academic radiologists choose mentors? Acad Radiol 2013;20(8):921–2. 3. Ray CE. Mentoring-It's All Good, Right? Semin Intervent Radiol 2012;29(2): 69–70. 4. Wood BP. Oh, no! I made a mistake! Am J Roentgenol 2013;200(5):947. 5. Slanetz PJ, Boiselle PM. Mentoring matters. Am J Roentgenol. 2012;198(1):W11W12. 6. Bhargava P. What's all the fuss about productivity? Should you care? Curr Probl Diagn Radiol 2014;43(5):233–4. 7. Shriki JE, Bhargava P. Peer review: Strengthening the weak link of academic radiology. Curr Probl Diagn Radiol 2015;44(3):227–8.
References 1. Obura T, Brant WE, Miller F, et al. Participating in a community of learners enhances resident perceptions of learning in an e-mentoring program: Proof of concept. BMC Med Educ 2011;11:3.
Tan-Lucien H. Mohammed, MD, FCCP
